Recovery mission resumes for Grundy Center man who fell through ice

After about five hours of searching Monday, divers were still unable to locate a man who fell through the ice on Lake Ponderosa on Saturday.

David Allen Hartke, 57, of Grundy Center, reportedly fell through a weak spot in the ice on Lake Ponderosa while ice fishing with a friend, said Chief Chris Widmer of the Montezuma Volunteer Fire Department.

The Midwest Regional Dive Team was called in Monday and searched from noon until 5 p.m., Widmer said.

Divers will begin searching the area around 8 a.m. Tuesday. If they are unable to find Hartke, officials will have to assess the situation, Widmer said.

“With it warming up, it becomes a safety issue to have them on the ice,” Widmer said. “I don’t want to put their lives in jeopardy.”

Still, Widmer would like to find Hartke “to bring closure to the family,” he said.

The Montezuma Fire Department was called to Lake Ponderosa about 6:30 p.m. Saturday for a report of a man who had fallen through the ice.

Hartke was reportedly ice fishing with a friend and both were using UTV Rangers on the ice, said J.R. Shearer with the fire department. The man’s friend saw him fall through the ice, Shearer said.

“We responded and immediately called in the Grinnell and New Sharon fire departments for ice rescue support,” Shearer said. “After our first initial rescue attempt, we called in the dive team.”

The Johnson County Metro Dive Team arrived at 10 p.m. Saturday to assist with the search for Hartke.

Recovery crews worked until their equipment began to freeze late Saturday, Widmer said.

On Sunday, about 30 rescue workers from the area, including the Montezuma, Malcom and New Sharon fire departments, were on scene assisting the divers from Johnson County and the Central Iowa Underwater Search and Rescue team.

All three diving teams consisted of volunteers, who plunged into 37-degree waters. Shearer said underwater conditions were cold and sight was limited.

Recovery efforts were suspected Sunday evening due to the search being too dangerous for divers.

Crews drilled holes in the ice and inserted cameras, immediately locating the man’s UTV Ranger and hut underwater. However, the man’s remains were not in the vehicle.

“It is a recovery operation at this point,” Widmer said.

The search consists of groups of divers going into the water two at a time for periods of 15 minutes. One team leaves the water to get warmed up while another team takes over.

“They’re developing a radius of about 50 feet around the Ranger,” said Dann Hayes, who was on the scene Sunday with the Malcolm Volunteer Fire Department. “That includes areas they’ve already searched.”

It was estimated by the divers that the ice was only two-inches thick where Hartke fell through.

According to officials, the area where Hartke fell through was open water a couple weeks ago.